A pivotal bout in the Cage Warriors lightweight division has been added to the fight card for Cage Warriors 161 in Dublin, Ireland.
Three months after his victorious return to the promotion, former two-division champion Mason Jones will make his second appearance of his second Cage Warrior stint as he takes on former title challenger Yann Liasse at the RDS on Saturday, October 14 in a bout that could propel the winner into a lightweight title fight towards the end of the year, or early in 2024.
Jones previously ruled the 155- and 170-pound divisions before heading off to compete in the UFC. But now "The Dragon" is back in the famous yellow gloves, and plans to pick up where he left off by reuniting with the lightweight title he held back in 2020.
Jones looked in outstanding form as he finished 32-fight veteran Alexandre Ribeiro inside one round at Cage Warriors 158 in July to continue his undefeated run under the Cage Warriors banner. Now he'll face Luxembourg's Liasse, who saw his impressive run of form come to an end at the hands of lightweight champion George Hardwick at Cage Warriors 152 in April.
Now, with Hardwick awaiting his next challenge, Jones and Liasse will face off with the potential of facing the Middlesbrough man in a huge title clash further down the line.
The matchup tops a list of six confirmed matchups for Dublin, with more bouts set to be announced in due course.
Already confirmed for October 14 is a featherweight bout between Ireland's Ryan Shelley and the Netherlands' Jordy Bakkes, while Irish welterweight James Sheehan will face experienced opposition in the form of Finn Olli Santalahti.
Also booked for action is a middleweight matchup between Ireland's Paddy McCorry and France's Samir Kadi, while undefeated prospects Solomon Simon and Marko Sarasjarvi face off with their respective 0's on the line.
Finally, flyweight prospects Ger Harris and Ryan Hewitt are also booked to do battle at 125 pounds.
Cage Warriors 161: Confirmed fights
- Mason Jones vs. Yann Liasse
- Ryan Shelley vs. Jordy Bakkes
- James Sheehan vs. Olli Santalahti
- Paddy McCorry vs. Samir Kadi
- Solomon Simon vs. Marko Sarasjarvi
- Ger Harris vs. Ryan Hewitt